Bucks brass said the sponsor of the team's new arena will be a local company with a national presenceBucks
Bucks co-Owner Wes Edens said that the team is "on the cusp of announcing the long-delayed naming rights deal" for its new downtown arena, according to James Nelson of the MILWAUKEE JOURNAL SENTINEL. Edens: "It's very close -- imminent is what I would say is probably the word." He added it is a "company that's local," but one that has a "national presence." Edens: "We have been exchanging contracts. There are really no open issues." Nelson notes the Bucks are "expected to put on a full-court press and crank up the excitement for the arena once their season ends." That includes the naming-rights announcement, "other local sponsorships as well as a continued push for season-ticket sales." Edens "declined to discuss price or the length of the deal." He said, "We're not only happy with the price but we think it's a very high-quality partner who we think really represents well -- a big employer; we think there's a lot of real positives in terms of all the contextual aspects of the partnership that we think are terrific" (MILWAUKEE JOURNAL SENTINEL, 4/23).
WHAT'S IN A NAME? In Philadelphia, Will Bunch wrote of Wells Fargo Center, "I just don't understand why Philadelphia's indoor sports cathedral is still named for a megabucks bank that epitomizes every worst excess about American capitalism in the 21st century." Bunch: "How great would it be to have a citywide contest ... to rename the Center for a real hero?" (PHILLY.com, 4/22).
